Mek(I)
- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Mek was born on January 18th, 1988, in Enugu City, Enugu State, Nigeria. At the age of 9, he attended a boarding school in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Mek moved to the United States in 2002, and he lived in South Orange, New Jersey, where he attended Colombia High School for his tenth and eleventh grade. He later relocated to Katy, Texas, where he graduated from Mayde Creek High School in 2005.
In 2006, Mek attended University of Houston for a few years, studying Pre-Nursing. He was unable to carry on with his education when he developed severe arthritis in his right hand, which was a result of fracturing his index metacarpal in a fight that he didn't initiate.
Mek has post-traumatic arthritis, and he has been living with chronic pain since the age of 18. He's had six surgeries on his right hand and wrist, but the pain persists. An artificial joint was implanted in the knuckle of his index finger. He deals with the pain by keeping his mind busy every second of waking life, and it works.
Mek's interest in filmmaking piqued after watching Gaspar Noe's "Irreversible". He enjoyed this particular movie for its originality, unorthodoxy, and rawness.
After studying Gaspar Noe's work, Mek picked up a camera and he started making short films for his own music. Most of his first attempts at visual storytelling can be found on YouTube under his moniker as a musician, which is "Irregular Mek".
Mek's intense battle with mental health began at the age of 24. He was detained and taken to a mental health hospital after his first intense manic episode in February 2012, but the confusion continued. Mek was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as Bipolar One and Schizoaffective.
As far as his mental affliction goes, Mek only experiences manic episodes, not depression. He had a decade long severe battle with psychosis (manic episodes), and hypomania. It took him a long time to have an understanding of his illness because he suffered from anosognosia, which is a condition where a person lacks awareness of their sickness. Because of Mek's odd behavior during psychosis, many people have a wrong impression of Mek's true nature because they experienced him when he wasn't in his right mind. Mek feels that he's ostracized because of this, and he became disillusioned with humanity as a result of this. Mek still suffers from the stigma of having mental illness, but such is life.
As of today, Mek has "insight" of his mental illness. He now has his condition under control after spending about five and a half years of his life under lock-down and receiving a tailored psychiatric care. He hasn't had an episode since October 2021.
Mek works with a mental health treatment team which consists of a psychiatrist and a therapist, and he plans to work with them for the rest of his life. He is on various psychiatric meds which he takes religiously.
Mek hopes to help destigmatize the myth about people who suffer from mental afflictions. A myth which is has been partly created by the inaccurate depiction of mental illness in Hollywood movies and media.
Mek survived an almost fatal car crash on March 4th, 2019. Around 3:40 AM, a drunk driver slammed his vehicle into Mek's automobile, but he luckily survived.
Mek moved to the United States in 2002, and he lived in South Orange, New Jersey, where he attended Colombia High School for his tenth and eleventh grade. He later relocated to Katy, Texas, where he graduated from Mayde Creek High School in 2005.
In 2006, Mek attended University of Houston for a few years, studying Pre-Nursing. He was unable to carry on with his education when he developed severe arthritis in his right hand, which was a result of fracturing his index metacarpal in a fight that he didn't initiate.
Mek has post-traumatic arthritis, and he has been living with chronic pain since the age of 18. He's had six surgeries on his right hand and wrist, but the pain persists. An artificial joint was implanted in the knuckle of his index finger. He deals with the pain by keeping his mind busy every second of waking life, and it works.
Mek's interest in filmmaking piqued after watching Gaspar Noe's "Irreversible". He enjoyed this particular movie for its originality, unorthodoxy, and rawness.
After studying Gaspar Noe's work, Mek picked up a camera and he started making short films for his own music. Most of his first attempts at visual storytelling can be found on YouTube under his moniker as a musician, which is "Irregular Mek".
Mek's intense battle with mental health began at the age of 24. He was detained and taken to a mental health hospital after his first intense manic episode in February 2012, but the confusion continued. Mek was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as Bipolar One and Schizoaffective.
As far as his mental affliction goes, Mek only experiences manic episodes, not depression. He had a decade long severe battle with psychosis (manic episodes), and hypomania. It took him a long time to have an understanding of his illness because he suffered from anosognosia, which is a condition where a person lacks awareness of their sickness. Because of Mek's odd behavior during psychosis, many people have a wrong impression of Mek's true nature because they experienced him when he wasn't in his right mind. Mek feels that he's ostracized because of this, and he became disillusioned with humanity as a result of this. Mek still suffers from the stigma of having mental illness, but such is life.
As of today, Mek has "insight" of his mental illness. He now has his condition under control after spending about five and a half years of his life under lock-down and receiving a tailored psychiatric care. He hasn't had an episode since October 2021.
Mek works with a mental health treatment team which consists of a psychiatrist and a therapist, and he plans to work with them for the rest of his life. He is on various psychiatric meds which he takes religiously.
Mek hopes to help destigmatize the myth about people who suffer from mental afflictions. A myth which is has been partly created by the inaccurate depiction of mental illness in Hollywood movies and media.
Mek survived an almost fatal car crash on March 4th, 2019. Around 3:40 AM, a drunk driver slammed his vehicle into Mek's automobile, but he luckily survived.